This is a dangerous sport we play in. That is why we sign the waivers, right?
Frank Ohrt pointed out to me a story about a University of Oregon football player, Spencer Webb, who was playing on the banks of a river, and fell and hit his head and died.
https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/national-international/oregon-football-player-spencer-webb-dies/2944470/
This is a good reminder that the dangers we face while recreating in the water don't all take place in the water, and accidents can happen along the banks too.
Frank went on to say that he has slipped on wet rocks along the Tellico River in Tennessee, and if he hadn't had his helmet on, he would have at least had a concussion and maybe a fractured skull. As it was, he only had a badly sprung neck and couldn't paddle for a couple of days.
OUCH!
I, too, have slipped while carrying a canoe along a riverbank, when a rock I stepped on suddenly tipped. That just resulted in an emergency dumping of the canoe, and subsequently having to pick it back up, but the potential for injury was clear.
While sandy beaches may not require it, rocky shores certainly demand considering wearing a helmet even when not on the water.
BE CAREFUL WHILE WALKING ALONG THE BANKS AND ON SLIPPERY ROCKS ALONG THE WATER!
It does appear from some of the stories that the football player may have been cliff diving and hit his head on shallow rocks or didn't jump far enough out into deep water and hit rocks along the riverbank instead, but that extends the warning to be careful when playing along the shore.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/spencer-webb-death_n_62d198fae4b0116f21bb7555
I've been on a couple of trips where one of the extra-curricular activities on the trip included diving from some of the tall cliffs along the way. Not that I would ever do anything so reckless and potentially injurious of life and limb, but several of the others on the trip have participated. If you consider doing so, also consider that it is freaking dangerous. But, hey, you do you, right?
BE CAREFUL OUT THERE, OK?
See You On The Water!
Harmon